Understanding your buyer, being relational vs. transactional, and removing your safety net with Suresh Rachuri (CEO at Maven)

Callan Harrington 00:01
You're listening to That Worked, a show that breaks down the careers of top founders and executives and pulls out those key items that led to their success. I'm your host, Callan Harrington, founder of Flashgrowth, and I couldn't be more excited that you're here.

Callan Harrington 00:21
We have a guest here today, Suresh Rachuri, who I'm super excited about. I've known Suresh for a while. Suresh is the CEO and founder of Maven, an IT consulting company, and they have been growing like crazy for a while. I'm going to have Suresh, because I know I didn't do it justice, give a better explanation of that. So, Suresh, welcome to the show.

Suresh Rachuri 00:41
Well, thank you for having me, Callan. I appreciate it.

Callan Harrington 00:44
Yeah, tell us a little bit about Maven.

Suresh Rachuri 00:47
Sure. Maven is an IT consulting, solutions, and staffing firm. I founded it back in June of 2010, and we celebrated our 12-year anniversary not too long ago.

Callan Harrington 00:58
Congrats, that's amazing. I mean, I hear everybody say once you get to that 10-year mark, it's a big deal. So, 12 years is excellent. I always like to kick these off by asking, how did you get here? How did you get to where you're at today? Where did it all start?

Suresh Rachuri 01:12
Good question. Well, I didn't know I was going to be going into IT. You're talking to someone who dropped out of high school, got their GED, went to college for their freshman year, and then, during college, had a family situation. My parents both lost their jobs. They took the $50,000 they had in savings and tried to achieve the American dream. They bought a carryout in Columbus in a rougher area, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, while I was carefree, just going to school and skateboarding, I got a call from a family member saying, "Hey, your dad's in the hospital. You need to go see your mom right away." I was like, whoa. I found out that my dad was hospitalized because he got jumped by some folks who were robbing the store. That freaked me out. My dad's my hero, and I didn't want my mom working there by herself, so I dropped out of college and worked there with my mom, making sure she was never alone.

Before I knew it, I started running the mini-mart and so forth. When my dad got better, my parents asked if I would run the shop while they took Oracle classes. They went and learned how to code and program in Oracle, and then both got jobs in the Carolinas with a defense contractor. Things were going great. I set up an assembly line for the carryout based on my experience working at Donatos Pizza. We got a conveyor belt oven, and we created an assembly line for all the veggies and meats. Before we knew it, the subs were selling more than anything else in the convenience store. We saved up enough money to buy a second store, a drive-thru carryout. Then, my parents asked if they could take some SAP classes too, since ERP was becoming more prominent. I said, "Yeah, go for it." They took their SAP classes, became high-end defense contractors, and eventually asked if I wanted to buy both stores from them. They practically gave them to me. What they didn’t know was that during that whole time, I had been held up a few times at gunpoint, and so was my brother, but we didn't want them to worry, so we didn't tell them about it.

While they were learning, I was also teaching myself how to code. When we sold the businesses, I went into coding, became a software developer, and worked for a company. I enjoyed it; it put good food on the table. Later, when I was on the bench, they asked me to stick around. I asked them for something to do, and they had me help recruit some talent. I really loved the experience of helping someone get into a new role. My first hire gave me a big hug and brought me chocolates and candies. It was so rewarding. I figured out that my calling was to get the right people into the right seats, really understanding a person’s motivation and putting them on the right mission. This has been a journey for me, learning how to continue getting better at helping people find the right situation.

Callan Harrington 05:30
Wow, I never knew any of that. That’s an incredible story and such a transition. So, you were running these two stores, and you mentioned you started learning how to code yourself. What prompted that? It sounds like you had a successful thing going, albeit with some challenges. What prompted you to start learning how to code, and why coding in particular?

Suresh Rachuri 05:55
Good question. At that time, I didn’t have any college education. I was running a couple of convenience stores, and it just seemed like I was running into a dead-end situation. I didn’t want to own those stores for the rest of my life. I wanted more, and I felt that bridging that gap through technology was the right answer. I noticed my parents doing that. When they became Oracle developers and then SAP developers, that was when the light bulb went off. I thought, "Hey, I can do more if I start writing code and get a point of entry into information technology," because that’s the future, and it’s the future we live in now.

Callan Harrington 06:45
The fact that your parents were learning how to code on Oracle and SAP shows incredible foresight. You hear about it all the time now, with people doing Salesforce Trailheads and everything, but back then, that was a pretty big shift from what they were doing. Clearly, it had a big impact on you. You mentioned recruiting for that particular person, and that had kind of changed your life. What’s the story there? What were you recruiting for, and how did you go about figuring out how to do it? Walk us through that.

Suresh Rachuri 07:20
Sure. The first person I recruited was working for a company called Diebold, a great company that builds ATMs and more. After 19 years, she was part of a layoff. I cold-called her, recruited her, and discovered that she had a strong network infrastructure background and certification as a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Being a female in that field was very rare at the time. She fit all the qualifications, so I asked her to come in and meet me in person. That’s when it got a little weird; she just wasn’t comfortable coming in. But I insisted, saying I couldn’t do anything until I met her in person and shook her hand. She eventually agreed.

When she came in, she couldn’t look me in the eye. She seemed defeated. I pulled her into an office to talk one-on-one and put the position aside. I asked, "What’s going on? What’s wrong?" She told me she had been interviewing for almost a year, and no one would give her a job or a chance. I could tell she felt defeated. She was brilliant but was being judged by her appearance. I didn’t even consider her for the specific position I had brought her in for. Instead, I called a friend of mine at a financial services institution where I used to work and asked if they could use someone like her. He said they needed three people like her. I told him I’d bring her in for fingerprinting on Thursday or Friday, and she could start on Monday. He hadn’t even met her yet, but he trusted me.

When I told her the news, she gave me a big bear hug and brought chocolates, candies, and flowers. It felt so good, and her career just took off after that.

Callan Harrington 09:52
That’s excellent. Why was that so important to you?

Suresh Rachuri 09:56
I’ve been that person, judged by the cover. I felt empathy for her, and I wanted to help.

Callan Harrington 10:13
I love it. So you placed your first person. Were you working for a company when you did this, or did you do it on your own? What did that look like?

Suresh Rachuri 10:21
I was working for a company. I was writing code for a company called MIS, Inc., which got acquired a while back. That’s the company I worked for when I made the transition to recruiting.

Callan Harrington 10:31
You had this great moment. What did you do with it? Where did you go from there?

Suresh Rachuri 10:36
They still wanted me to code, but I wanted to recruit. We had a difference of opinion, so I put in my resignation and got a job recruiting full-time in IT.

Callan Harrington 10:49
That’s really interesting. What was that transition like for you? Coding is very different from recruiting, which is, in my opinion, a pure sales role. The cold calling and discovery skill sets are very close, if not the exact same. So what was that transition like for you, moving from coding to a more sales-driven role?

Suresh Rachuri 11:13
It was challenging because it’s a different world. To be a good recruiter, you need to be more relational and have empathy with your audience. Finding a job can be stressful, so you need to put yourself in their shoes, understand their motivations, and help them find the right place. It took years to figure that out, but the transition was good.

Callan Harrington 12:05
When you say the process of finding the right fit, what’s your process for figuring that out?

Suresh Rachuri 12:12
It starts with understanding my buyer—understanding the purpose of the position they’re looking to fill, the culture of the company, and the demeanor and mindset of the person and team they would be working with. These are core essentials before even starting to identify talent. Then, there are two buckets to consider: job description requirements and whether the person is the right fit for the company culture. Not just a culture fit, but a culture add—will the company provide opportunities for them to thrive?

Callan Harrington 13:37
Absolutely. So once you have all that information and you’re recruiting a candidate, what’s the process for evaluating that fit?

Suresh Rachuri 13:48
We have a system called SMART, which stands for Salary, Motivation, Accomplishments, Relocation, and Training. If we can get a good understanding of these five things, we can determine if the person is the right fit for the next step.

Callan Harrington 14:20
At this point, you’re working for someone else and transitioning into a full-time recruiting role. How are you liking it? How’s it going?

Suresh Rachuri 14:35
It wasn’t good at first.

Callan Harrington 14:37
What happened?

Suresh Rachuri 14:39
I just got rejected by everybody. I was still a little wet behind the ears as a recruiter and was thrown into a role without much support. I had to learn by myself and figure things out. After a few weeks, I realized I needed to change my approach. I started putting myself in the audience’s shoes, really honing in on our conversations, and understanding what they might be thinking. There are certain behavior-driven questions I ask to understand how they approach a question and answer it.

Callan Harrington 15:44
Can you give an example of a question that’s not part of your secret sauce but that someone else might find valuable?

Suresh Rachuri 15:51
Sure. A simple question like, "What motivated you to apply for this position?" or "What motivated you to talk to me?" Some people will ask for clarification, and some will just say "money." The way they respond helps me assess their motivations.

Callan Harrington 16:19
What are you looking for in that response? For hiring managers out there, what should they be looking for?

Suresh Rachuri 16:23
My responsibility at Maven is to do this job well and get it right the first time. I look for someone who fits both the behavior and technical skill buckets. Are they motivated by the mission of the role? How is their behavior when we describe the role to them? Are they excited, or are they just going through the motions?

Callan Harrington 18:15
So you’re looking at body language, tone, and other cues to see if they’re genuinely interested or just going through the motions?

Suresh Rachuri 18:54
Yes, exactly.

Callan Harrington 18:54
That’s interesting, especially in sales. Salespeople often come off as super excited because they’re selling themselves, whether or not they actually want the role. How do you approach those situations?

Suresh Rachuri 19:34
Carefully. I approach it with the mindset of our stakeholders, considering whether this person would be a productive member of the team and if we’re doing our customer a good service by presenting this person.

Callan Harrington 20:00
So, all things being equal, you’re looking for who’s going to be a better culture fit, right?

Suresh Rachuri 20:03
Yes, that’s a fair assessment.

Callan Harrington 20:03
Perfect. Let’s fast forward a bit. You worked with several companies before deciding to go out on your own. Why did you want to do that?

Suresh Rachuri 20:19
I got fired.

Callan Harrington 20:19
Walk us through that.

Suresh Rachuri 20:21
I was with another consulting firm, and I loved the opportunity they gave me. I was the leading salesperson with the highest margin and revenue for my line of business. One day, they brought me into a room and said they were going in a different direction and that today would be my last day.

Callan Harrington 20:45
Why did they do that?

Suresh Rachuri 20:47
They said they were going in a different direction. Later, I found out they hired two or three people to take over my role. I think they thought they could grow faster with more people. But all three of those people left within six months to a year and a half. It taught me a lesson, though. If I hadn’t gotten that swift kick, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’m so happy where I am.

Callan Harrington 21:29
Before you dive into that, why wouldn’t you have gone out on your own if that hadn’t happened?

Suresh Rachuri 21:36
I needed that stability, and then I got put in an unstable situation. That pushed me to go full-time on my own and figure things out.

Callan Harrington 21:47
You needed that forcing function to put you there. I’m like that too. I stayed in a stable job for a long time because of the fear of not having a safety net. So, what was the second lesson you learned?

Suresh Rachuri 22:22
Don’t be overly transactional. Just because you can save money doesn’t mean it’s the right route to take.

Callan Harrington 22:39
What does it mean to not be transactional?

Suresh Rachuri 22:41
You always have to have a level of transaction in business, but I prefer to be more relational. I love building relationships, understanding people’s businesses, and helping them solve their challenges. I try to stay away from the overly transactional world, where it’s all about making calls and hitting quotas. Being boutique, we like to stay relational and build solutions around our customers.

Callan Harrington 24:39
That makes sense. In a service business, especially a boutique, that’s how you win—by doing something different from the larger companies. People often want to work with a boutique for that reason. Is that what you’re saying?

Suresh Rachuri 25:11
Yes, exactly.

Callan Harrington 25:11
And you mentioned a third lesson you learned.

Suresh Rachuri 25:19
Never put anyone else in a situation where they don’t need to be. I was delivering great results, but I was let go because the company wanted to save money. I don’t want to make decisions based solely on cost-cutting.

Callan Harrington 25:46
If I’m reading between the lines, you were producing well, but they let you go to replace you with a few junior people, thinking it would save money. They believed three junior people would be less expensive and match or exceed your production.

Suresh Rachuri 26:00
Yes, that’s right. And it’s important to construct a compensation plan that motivates the salesperson and aligns with the company’s goals. When the comp plan is right, the company should be thriving.

Callan Harrington 27:22
So, you made the leap on your own. What was that like?

Suresh Rachuri 27:22
It was scary, awesome, and a whirlwind of emotions. My brain was going a thousand miles per hour. When I went off on my own, I ended up consulting myself out as a recruiter, supporting a few Fortune 500 companies.

Callan Harrington 27:46
So you were doing fractional recruiting for these companies. How did Maven evolve into what it is today?

Suresh Rachuri 27:55
I was stuck trying to grow the business. It was hard to get into some companies because Columbus is such a relational town. There are so many great companies and businesses here, but people already had relationships. I had onesie-twosie gigs, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to grow, and I was trying to figure out who Maven was and what our core values would be. Then, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted to help the world’s largest burrito maker. They wanted to open up their restaurant support center in Columbus. I consulted through another company to this client, and within three months, I turned things around. Our team placed over 300 IT people in Columbus for this customer. That helped me earn my stripes.

Callan Harrington 30:08
What did that mean for you and your company?

Suresh Rachuri 30:12
It was great. I understood this company and its people-centric values. They’re growing like gangbusters and will continue to double in size. They added a lot of value to us, and we didn’t want to just fall off into the sunset. They proposed that we work together, and they gave us long-term contracts. That launched us into having our first enterprise account.

Callan Harrington 31:20
That’s excellent. So fast forward to today. What are you most excited about that you’ve got coming up?

Suresh Rachuri 31:30
This is a rebuilding year. I’m excited about having my leadership team take more of the reins from me.

Callan Harrington 31:40
How is that going for you personally?

Suresh Rachuri 31:44
It’s been tough. It’s an ego check. I’ve jumped back into the kitchen, and sometimes I create chaos when I leave. But the best thing that happened was my leadership team approached me about it, and I made some adjustments. Now I’m staying out of the kitchen but am on standby to help when needed. I’ve also reconnected with skateboarding and started learning the art of golf, which is really the art of patience.

Callan Harrington 32:39
That’s a good way to describe it. So now you’re in more of a visionary leadership role. What do you see as your role in impacting the company in that position?

Suresh Rachuri 32:59
I see myself figuring out where we’ll be in the next three to five years. What is Maven going to be? Where is tech going? Where is business going? I have faith in my team for the consulting and staffing side, but I’m looking to move further into product development. We’ve developed a couple of products by accident, and now I’m passionate about investing in the community and building products from people’s ideas. My dream is for Maven to have a third division that helps incubate people’s ideas, eventually letting them become the primary owner and CEO of their own business.

Callan Harrington 34:20
So you want to create an in-house incubator or accelerator program?

Suresh Rachuri 34:22
Yes.

Callan Harrington 34:23
I love it. This is such an excellent story—from dropping out of high school and college, getting involved in tech early, supporting your family, and helping them achieve their dreams, to accomplishing your own dreams. You’ve got a hell of a story, Suresh, and I’m super grateful you could share it with us. If you could talk to your younger self today, what would you say?

Suresh Rachuri 34:56
Don’t be scared to take that leap of faith. I wish I had taken it earlier. And two more things: be humble and listen more.

Callan Harrington 35:09
I love it. Suresh, thank you for joining us today and giving us your time. There are so many good tidbits and pieces of wisdom in here. Thank you again, brother, for coming on.

Suresh Rachuri 35:17
Thank you so much for having me, Callan. All the best. And just one more thing—I’m glad you took that leap of faith too.

Callan Harrington 35:25
I love it. I don’t know if I could have done it any other way, but we’ll see. It was tough to do, but awesome, Suresh. This has been excellent.